ÞjóðA Magnfl 2II/8 — hún ‘of the mast-top’
Út rétt, allvaldr, skjóta
— ekin dúðisk rô — snekkju,
en þrítøgt skip þrautar
þann tíð í haf skríða.
Vægðit vendi sveigðum
veðr ótt of þér, dróttinn;
hlóðu hirðmenn prúðir
húnskript í Sigtúnum.
Allvaldr, rétt skjóta snekkju út, en [rétt] þrítøgt skip skríða þrautar í haf þann tíð; ekin rô dúðisk. Ótt veðr vægðit sveigðum vendi of þér, dróttinn; prúðir hirðmenn hlóðu húnskript í Sigtúnum.
Mighty ruler, you launched [lit. did launch] a warship out, and [made] the thirty-benched ship glide at full stretch over the sea at that time; the driven sailyard shuddered. The raging wind did not spare the swayed mast above you, lord; splendid retainers took down the decorated cloth of the mast-top [SAIL] in Sigtuna (Sigtúnir).
notes
[8] húnskript ‘the decorated cloth of the mast-top [SAIL]’: Jesch (2001a, 161) points out that the skript ‘decoration, picture’ on the sail could be embroidered, painted or simply the effect of stitching in sections; cf. Seglit var sett með fögrum skriptum ‘The sail was laid out with beautiful decorations’ (Fms 10, 77, cited in CVC: skript). Sail-kennings are rare (Meissner 222), but this one reappears in SnSt Ht 78/8III and Sturl Hákkv 11/5 (see LP: húnskript).
kennings
- húnskript — the decorated cloth of the mast-top [SAIL]